It has been reported that Cyclooxygenase enzyme exists in three isoforms, namely, COX-1, COX-2 and COX-3. COX-1 enzyme is essential and primarily responsible for the regulation of gastric fluids whereas COX-2 enzyme is present at the basal levels and is reported to have a major role in the prostaglandin synthesis for inflammatory response. These prostaglandins are known to cause inflammation in the body. Hence, if the synthesis of these prostaglandins is stopped by way of inhibiting COX-2 enzyme, inflammation and its related disorders can be treated. COX-3 possesses glycosylation-dependent cyclooxygenase activity. Comparison of canine COX-3 activity with murine COX-1 and COX-2 demonstrated that this enzyme is selectively inhibited by analgesic/antipyretic drugs such as acetaminophen, phenacetin, antipyrine, and dipyrone, and is potently inhibited by some nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Thus, inhibition of COX-3 could represent a primary central mechanism by which these drugs decrease pain and possibly fever. Recent reports show that inhibitors of COX-1 enzyme causes gastric ulcers, where as selective COX-2 and COX-3 enzyme inhibitors are devoid of this function and hence are found to be safe.
The present invention is concerned with treatment of immunological diseases or inflammation, notably such diseases are mediated by cytokines or cyclooxygenase. The principal elements of the immune system are macrophages or antigen-presenting cells, T cells and B cells. The role of other immune cells such as NK cells, basophils, mast cells and dendritic cells are known, but their role in primary immunologic disorders is uncertain. Macrophages are important mediators of both inflammation and providing the necessary “help” for T cell stimulation and proliferation. Most importantly macrophages make IL-1, IL-12 and TNF-α all of which are potent pro-inflammatory molecules and also provide help for T cells. In addition, activation of macrophages results in the induction of enzymes, such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and cyclooxygenase-3 (COX-3), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and production of free radicals capable of damaging normal cells. Many factors activate macrophages, including bacterial products, superantigens and interferon gamma (IFN γ). It is believed that phosphotyrosine kinases (PTKs) and other undefined cellular kinases are involved in the activation process.
Cytokines are molecules secreted by immune cells that are important in mediating immune responses. Cytokine production may lead to the secretion of other cytokines, altered cellular function, cell division or differentiation. Inflammation is the body's normal response to injury or infection. However, in inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, pathologic inflammatory processes can lead to morbidity and mortality. The cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) plays a central role in the inflammatory response and has been targeted as a point of intervention in inflammatory disease. TNF-α is a polypeptide hormone released by activated macrophages and other cells. At low concentrations, TNF-α participates in the protective inflammatory response by activating leukocytes and promoting their migration to extravascular sites of inflammation (Moser et al., J Clin Invest, 83, 444–55, 1989). At higher concentrations, TNF-α can act as a potent pyrogen and induce the production of other pro-inflammatory cytokines (Haworth et al., Eur J Immunol, 21, 2575–79, 1991; Brennan et al., Lancet, 2, 244–7, 1989). TNF-α also stimulates the synthesis of acute-phase proteins. In rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic and progressive inflammatory disease affecting about 1% of the adult U.S. population, TNF-α mediates the cytokine cascade that leads to joint damage and destruction (Arend et al., Arthritis Rheum, 38, 151–60, 1995). Inhibitors of TNF-α, including soluble TNF receptors (etanercept) (Goldenberg, Clin Ther, 21, 75–87, 1999) and anti-TNF-α antibody (infliximab) (Luong et al., Ann Pharmacother, 34, 743–60, 2000), have recently been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as agents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Elevated levels of TNF-α have also been implicated in many other disorders and disease conditions, including cachexia, septic shock syndrome, osteoarthritis, inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis etc.
Elevated levels of TNF-α and/or IL-1 over basal levels have been implicated in mediating or exacerbating a number of disease states including rheumatoid arthritis; osteoporosis; multiple myeloma; uveititis; acute and chronic myelogenous leukemia; pancreatic β cell destruction; osteoarthritis; rheumatoid spondylitis; gouty arthritis; inflammatory bowel disease; adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); psoriasis; Crohn's disease; allergic rhinitis; ulcerative colitis; anaphylaxis; contact dermatitis; asthma; muscle degeneration; cachexia; type I and type II diabetes; bone resorption diseases; ischemia reperfusion injury; atherosclerosis; brain trauma; multiple sclerosis; cerebral malaria; sepsis; septic shock; toxic shock syndrome; fever, and myalgias due to infection. HIV-1, HIV-2, HIV-3, cytomegalovirus (CMV), influenza, adenovirus, the herpes viruses (including HSV-1, HSV-2), and herpes zoster are also exacerbated by TNF-α.
It can be seen that inhibitors of TNF-α are potentially useful in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases. Compounds that inhibit TNF-α have been described in several patents.
Excessive production of IL-6 is implicated in several disease states, it is highly desirable to develop compounds that inhibit IL-6 secretion. Compounds that inhibit IL-6 have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,004,813; 5,527,546 and 5,166,137.
The cytokine IL-1β also participates in the inflammatory response. It stimulates thymocyte proliferation, fibroblast growth factor activity, and the release of prostaglandin from synovial cells. Elevated or unregulated levels of the cytokine IL-1β have been associated with a number of inflammatory diseases and other disease states, including but not limited to adult respiratory distress syndrome, allergy, Alzheimer's disease etc. Since overproduction of IL-1β is associated with numerous disease conditions, it is desirable to develop compounds that inhibit the production or activity of IL-1β.
In rheumatoid arthritis models in animals, multiple intra-articular injections of IL-1 have led to an acute and destructive form of arthritis (Chandrasekhar et al., Clinical Immunol Immunopathol. 55, 382, 1990). In studies using cultured rheumatoid synovial cells, IL-1 is a more potent inducer of stromelysin than TNF-α. (Firestein, Am. J. Pathol. 140, 1309, 1992). At sites of local injection, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte emigration has been observed. The emigration is attributed to the induction of chemokines (e.g., IL-8), and the up-regulation of adhesion molecules (Dinarello, Eur. Cytokine Netw. 5, 517–531, 1994).
In rheumatoid arthritis, both IL-1 and TNF-α induce synoviocytes and chondrocytes to produce collagenase and neutral proteases, which leads to tissue destruction within the arthritic joints. In a model of arthritis (collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in rats and mice) intra-articular administration of TNF-α either prior to or after the induction of CIA led to an accelerated onset of arthritis and a more severe course of the disease (Brahn et al., Lymphokine Cytokine Res. 11, 253, 1992; and Cooper, Clin. Exp. Immunol. 898, 244, 1992).
IL-8 has been implicated in exacerbating and/or causing many disease states in which massive neutrophil in filtration into sites of inlammation or injury (e.g., ischemia) is mediated chemotactic nature of IL-8, including, but not limited to, the following: asthma, inflammatory bowl disease, psoriasis, adult respiratory distress syndrome, cardiac and renal reperfusion injury, thrombosis and glomerulonephritis. In addition to the chemotaxis effect on neutrophils, IL-8 has also has ability to activate neutrophils. Thus, reduction in IL-8 levels may lead to diminished neutrophil infiltration.
Few prior art reference which disclose the closest pyrimidine compounds are given here:    i) U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,420,385 and 6,410,729 discloses novel compounds of formula (IIa)
     wherein
     represents
     X is O, S or NR5; R1 and R2 each independently represent —Y or -Z-Y, and R3 and R4 each independently -Z-Y or R3 is a hydrogen radical; provided that R4 is other than a substituted-aryl, (substituted-aryl)methyl or (substituted-aryl)ethyl radical; wherein each Z is independently optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, heterocyclyl, aryl or heteroaryl; Y is independently a hydrogen; halo, cyano, nitro, etc., R5 is independently a hydrogen, optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl etc., R11 and R12 are each independently represent optionally substituted aryl or heteroaryl.An example of these compounds is shown in formula (IIb)
    ii) DE 2142317 discloses hypnotic uracil derivatives of formula (IIc)
     wherein R1 is H, alkyl, alkenyl, dialkylaminoalkyl, or aralkyl; R2 is H, alkyl, aryl, or halogen; R3 is alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aralkyl, aralkenyl, or aryl, R4 is alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aralkyl, aryl, etc.An example of these compounds is shown in formula (IId)
